Alpine pretzels and ricies are palm oil-free and super crispy and delicious! In this blog post, we briefly explain what palm oil is and what effects the cultivation of palm oil has.

The fruits of the oil palm are pressed to produce palm oil. The palms grow, for example, in the rainforests and moorland areas near the equator. These areas are not only home to more than two thirds of the world’s biodiversity, but also provide a livelihood for local populations.

According to the WWF Palm Oil Report, more than 17 million hectares are needed worldwide for the cultivation of palm oil and palm kernel oil, and the trend is rising. Palm oil is not only popular in the industry because of its low price, the plant also produces the highest yield per hectare of all oil plants.

It is evident that the conversion of land into agricultural land destroys natural areas such as the rainforest, releases greenhouse gases and accelerates the loss of biodiversity.

Due to the problematic effects of palm oil cultivation, we have decided to use regional oilseeds such as rapeseed oil and sunflower oil for our snack products. Sunflower oil is used for our Alpenbrezln pretzels and rapeseed oil is used for our Ricies. Regional varieties can be more easily integrated into crop rotations and transportation routes are also shorter. A win-win situation!

We would like to tell you that this solves the problem, but that is not the case. Palm oil has a bad reputation, but not using palm oil at all is not a solution either. The unique technical properties of palm oil make it difficult to find a substitute for many products. Palm oil is particularly creamy, colorless, tasteless, odorless, temperature-resistant and helps to preserve food for longer. Where palm oil is indispensable, attention should be paid to sustainable cultivation.

 

Sources:

WWF Palm Oil Report Germany – Searching for Alternatives

Palmoilscorecard